


Amiable Discourse on Winter Festivals and Party Expansion

by roxashighwind



Series: Always in a Four Man Crew [5]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-01-07
Packaged: 2018-05-12 07:42:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5658154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxashighwind/pseuds/roxashighwind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“Holidays are a right mess at our house,” Gavin chipped in. He took a sip from his beer before he let it dangle between his knees. “Utter chaos everywhere between it looking like Hallmark vomited all over the place and all the suitcases half packed.” </i>
</p>
<p>-<br/>The pre-Christmas podcast falls into talk of travel and traditions with Gus, Gavin, Lindsay, Miles, and of course, Gus.<br/>(This takes place approximately one year before <i>Of Midwinter Festivities and Party Bonding</i>)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Amiable Discourse on Winter Festivals and Party Expansion

**Author's Note:**

> I actually started this before _[Of Midwinter Festivities and Party Bonding](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5549135)_ , but _Of Midwinter_ sort of fell out of me faster. 
> 
> This fic introduces one of the two other polyamorous groups in this 'verse - Miles, Kerry, and Stacey. 
> 
> I'm really happy to be posting more frequently! Hope you're all enjoying it.

“Holidays are a right mess at our house,” Gavin chipped in. He took a sip from his beer before he let it dangle between his knees. “Utter chaos everywhere between it looking like Hallmark vomited all over the place and all the suitcases half packed.” 

It was podcast night, or whatever they’d chosen to change the name to - the idea was still the same as it always was and it was still referred to as the Podcast among the staff and anyone who had been with Rooster Teeth long enough. Lindsay was sharing the couch with Gavin while Miles took the seat on stage left and Gus lounged in his standard spot in the stage right chair.

Lindsay laughed and tugged at the hem of the hoodie she was wearing. “It wouldn’t be so bad if Meg and I weren’t so crazy about decorating. You’d think that the Squishy and a toddler would make it so we do less, but that’s just not the case at all.” She rested a fond hand on the swell of her belly.

“It’s because you have extra manual labor to make more decorations.” Gus chuckled before straightening a little with a thought. “Having three in school means they’re bringing even more decorations home on top of that, too, right?”

“Oh definitely. They’re bringing decorations home left and right.” Miles turned away from the mic to cough. “If what mine brings is anything to go off of, anyway.” He held up a hand and ticked off decorations on his fingers. “Hand turkeys and snowflakes. Those construction paper ring garland things and all that other festive shit,” he ended with a vague wiggle of his hand when he couldn’t think of anything more specific to add.

The set burst into laughter, as it was wont to do. Gavin calmed first and pulled his microphone closer. “I still can’t believe the names we’ve given to the fetuses,” he said with a shake of his head. He reached a hand over to Lindsay, touching his fingertips to her stomach.

Gus grinned, that grin he got whenever he had been dying to bring up some point or another. “Okay, I wasn’t going to say anything, but yeah, you’re right. The names you give the fetuses are pretty out there.” He stumbled slightly over ‘fetuses,’ had to say it a second time to make sure he did it right. 

“It’s because other than Lil G we haven’t pre-named the kids.” Lindsay copied Gavin and pulled her mic closer instead of scooting toward the edge of the couch.

“Gotta say, I love the nicknames. Lis was Jellyfish, right?” Miles asked, though he was pretty sure he was right. “Sorry guys, we’re turning this into the Kiddo Podcast again.” The toothy grin on his face as he looked right at camera said he wasn’t sorry at all.

Lindsay held up her hand. “Uh, no, get it right. She is  _ still _ Jellyfish and she will not let anyone forget it.”

“Lissa is indeed still our little Jellyfish.” He hid his grin by taking a swallow from his beer. Gav let the beer dangle again when he regained control of his face. “The twins are Beans,” he added, fingers simultaneously tapping against the neck of the bottle and the side of Lindsay’s belly. 

“Beans? So each of them is a Bean? Like Sean Bean?” Gus guffawed and looked at them like idiots, though he knew the real reasoning.

“Bean and Other Bean, actually. Because Meg and I weren’t supposed to be pregnant at the same time but it happened.”

“Oh no, that makes a lot of sense.” Miles waited for the others to look at him before he continued. “Because with the ultrasound fetuses look like jelly beans when they first start out. Obviously.”

Lindsay laughed. “Damn right they do. And they look creepy as shit until they actually start to look human.”

“It isn’t until the fetus bakes for a while that it starts to look like a baby.” 

Gus shook his head, not wanting to touch Gavin’s comment. “And why’s this one ‘Squishy’?”

“The Squishy, with the article and everything. C’mon Gus, get it right,” Miles corrected with a falsely harsh tone that cracked with his grin. 

“This one just feels squishier than the last two.” Lindsay shrugged and took a swallow from her bottle of water. She fumbled recapping it and the cap skittered away across the set. “Dammit!” 

Gus narrowed his eyes as Gavin and Miles laughed. “What does that even mean?”

Lindsay grunted as she shifted forward and heaved herself to standing. “It means I didn’t feel like a whale with Lil G and Bean.” 

“You’re not a whale, though,” Gavin assured her. She wasn’t, and it was clear on his face that he hated to hear her say that she was. He watched her intently as she knelt down to retrieve the bottle cap, ready to get up and help her if she needed it.

“You’re really not,” Miles echoed. “What are your plans for Christmas anyway? The Squishy going to force you guys to drive to Jersey again like the Beans did?” It sounded like a strange code, and it sort of was, and it made him laugh.

Lindsay tugged her (Michael’s) hoodie back into place as she triumphantly returned to the couch with her cap. “Had an appointment with my OB this morning and I’m cleared to fly. So we’ll be going ‘cross the pond next week.”

“Loading up the kids and seeing my parents for a few days. Then Jersey on the way back.” Gavin nudged Lindsay’s belly just because he could, and he grinned at the way she half-heartedly smacked his hand away. “And then we’ve got post-Christmas Christmas with Lindsay’s parents and another one with Turney’s family.”

Gus adjusted the tablet on his lap. “That sounds like an absolute mess.”

“It’s definitely a long string of events. Lots of shit to coordinate.” Lindsay took a quick drink of her water and finally screwed the cap on. She wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist. “It’s such a nightmare of logistics sometimes. But the kids handle travel pretty well.”

“So they’re not the monsters that kick the back of my chair during flights?” Miles questioned.

Gus almost snorted at that. “Michael would murder them if they did.”

“You’re not wrong, Gus,” replied Gavin. “But what about yours, Miles?” he asked, happily trying to move the discussion away from his family. “Still having three Christmases and a Hanukkah?” 

Miles laughed away from the mic. “Shit yeah. It’s an interesting thing to arrange, and I’m glad we don’t have to travel too far unlike you guys.” He gestured toward the two on the couch. “And the one kid thing helps, too, I guess.” 

“Are you willing to discuss how you manage that?” Gus asked as he checked the time; still a few minutes out from an ad read.

“Yeah. As the audience knows, or should know at this point, I have a beautiful adopted daughter with the adorable Mister Kerry Shawcross and the lovely Stacey Graber. We’re still in close contact with Nova’s bio-mom, and for the Hanukkah traditions we Skype with her and she walks Nova, and us, through doing all the stuff. We have one night where she comes into town and we have latkes and she does all the ritual things with Nova in person.” Miles pushed the microphone away for a moment to cough. 

“Nova loves the traditional aspect of the holiday with her bio-mom. It’s a lot more than we do for our family Christmas, which is just jimmy-jams on Christmas Eve and a couple small gifts on Christmas morning and then my family in the afternoon. We’ve got Christmas Eve with Stacey’s family during the day, and Kerry’s fam on the twenty-sixth.” He ticked everything off on his fingers, mouth moving silently to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything. “Yeah. Not a whole lot of travelling, luckily.”

“That’s a lot,” Gavin said succinctly.

Lindsay was beaming. “That’s so freaking cool. I love hearing about yours because you’ve got  _ traditions _ that we don’t and it’s really neat.” 

Gus nudged his mic a little closer. “That is quite the situation. I know that last time you brought Nova into work with you, she was talking to Barbara about a lot of the holidays and things.” He lifted the tablet from his lap. “I’m gonna read this.”

During the ad read Gavin reached over to pet Lindsay’s belly, hands gentle. She leaned back into the couch, giving him all the room he wanted. “The Squishy’s been kicky today,” she warned softly, trying not to interrupt the read.

Miles’ eyes widened, an open mouthed look of wonder on his face. “Can I touch?” he asked, hand outstretched. He let out a high, excited sound and practically shoved his mic away to get out of the chair when Lindsay gave a quick nod. He was always the most excited for fetus kicks outside of their immediate family because he hadn’t gotten to experience them when they adopted Nova. He squished himself between the table and the couch, stomach against the side of Lindsay’s knee in his haste to set his hands reverently on her belly.

Gavin chuckled at Miles’ enthusiasm and pointed to a spot closer to Lindsay’s hip on his side of her body. “Try over here.” It was the area that always seemed to get the most action through Lindsay’s previous pregnancies, and this one was shaping up to be no different.

Lindsay laughed at Miles’ look of joyful astonishment when The Squishy kicked his hand the moment he set it against her. He’d been the same way when Meg was pregnant with Lissa: always asking if he could feel the kicking when Meg complained about it and being completely awestruck when he got to feel a kick.

“Okay, what the heck is this?” Gus asked, voice sharp. He’d barely paid attention to them during the read, had only vaguely realized that Miles had moved. In the wide, the scene they made looked almost indecent. 

Miles glared at Gus, completely unashamed to have been caught with his hands on Lindsay’s belly. “It’s the Kiddos Podcast, Gustavo. You can’t take this away from me.” Even as he spoke he pulled his hands away.

Gus held up his hands and ticked off a finger. “For one, it’s just the podcast. And for two, it’s weird. It’s weird that you’ve got your hands on Lindsay. And it looks really weird on the wide.” His amused smile was at odds with his firm tone. “Benjamin and Oswald are also excited for Christmas, not that anyone asked.”

“I can’t believe that you still dress up your dogs,” Gavin scoffed. “They’re ancient!”

Lindsay smacked a hand against Gavin’s arm. “Be nice.”

“They’re old, they get cold. The sweaters that Esther gets them are not just festive, they’re  _ practical _ .” He made a face at Gavin and shifted in his chair. “You’re just jealous that your animals don’t look as dignified as mine.”

Miles scooted backward toward his own chair, phone in his hands. “I’m sending a picture to the control room,” he announced as he finally stood up. “Because if we’re talking about dapper as fuck animals, this one will blow Benjamin and Oswald out of the water.”

Gus’ eyes narrowed. “Excuse you?” 

Lindsay and Gavin shared twin Oooh’s at the challenge. Their sounds morphed into a soft noise of surprise as the control room put Miles’ picture on the screen.

“Look at Charlie. Look at him.” He gestured to the monitor that they could see from the set. The picture was one of his corgi, Charlie, in a doggy suit jacket and tie. A little top hat perched between his ears, and his tongue lolled from his grinning face. “That is one dapper corgi.”

Gus held up a hand. “Okay, okay. I guess Charlie is pretty fancy looking. But have you seen the picture Esther posted yesterday?” He fiddled with the tablet, but the control room had his back faster than he could pull it up himself. “Yeah, that one. Thank you, guys,” he said, directing his thanks off screen.

The two dogs were in cute Christmas sweaters with little ties as well. Unlike Charlie, neither of them had hats, but they matched well and seemed quite pleased to be wearing the clothing. “See? Oswald and Benjamin look great. And this isn’t about them versus your dog, Miles. This is to prove to Gavin that they look good and are happy to be in the sweaters we got them.”

“Meg’s got pictures of Smee, Penny, and Taylor in matching Halloween costumes,” Lindsay threw in. “She dresses them up for all the major holidays.” 

Gavin shifted to look at her. “You help,” he said, vaguely accusatory though it was well known that he didn’t mind. 

“Well, yeah. Taylor is a squirmy little shit.” She passed her water bottle from hand to hand. “Hey, so, getting back to holiday talk.”

Miles jumped on her leading train of thought. “The new RT holiday short is up for sponsors!”

“It’s a good one again this year.” Gavin snagged Lindsay’s water in the middle of a toss. “Filming was brutal though.” He unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

“You’re not wrong,” Gus admitted. “It was a pretty rough shoot, but I’ve seen the final product and it really paid off.” 

Lindsay snatched the bottle back. “I’m really glad that everyone seems to like it. I wasn’t sure if it was going to pay off the way I saw it in my head.” 

The other three nodded their agreement and the podcast turned easily from a bit of technical talk about the shoot to current events. It wound down after about twenty minutes of jumping from topic to topic.

“We’re pre-recorded next week because of the holiday,” Gus reminded the audience the same way he had when the podcast first started. “Be safe, have fun, make good choices.” 

“Love you!” Lindsay called as the podcast music started and the credits began to roll. Gavin and Miles waved as Gus pulled the earpiece out. The four of them stood almost simultaneously as the cameras cut, and Lindsay immediately leaned against Gavin.

“Oi woman,” Gavin groaned fondly. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. “We’ve got to go pick up Michael and Turney.”

“And I’ve got to go pull Kerry out of animation so we can head home. Stacey texted me in the middle of the podcast to let me know that Nova’s got a tummy ache and she wants her daddys home before she has to go to bed.” Miles tapped out a text before shoving his phone back into his pocket. 

Gus laughed and waved halfheartedly at them. “Shoo. Scat. Stop cluttering the podcast set.” He headed toward the control room without another look their way.

Lindsay hummed and waved at Gus’ back. “You go get your man, Miles. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Gavin nodded. “Hopefully li’l Nova feels better soon.” He squeezed Lindsay before releasing her. His hand stayed at her lower back to gently encourage her forward.

Miles mumbled his thanks as his phone started ringing and he turned to answer the call on his way to the animation department.

They made their way slowly to Achievement Hunter, where Meg and Michael had spent the hour and a half of the podcast. Gavin pushed open the door and they were immediately greeted by shouted obscenities in two voices where they’d only expected one.

“Jesus Christ what game are you playing?” Lindsay asked as she approached them at Michael’s station. She smiled at the sight of Meg on his lap, Michael’s arms around her and controller resting on her thighs. Meg was mashing buttons, and Lindsay’s smile widened at how cute she looked.

“Fucking stupid game!” Meg exclaimed. She set the controller on the desk far more gently than it looked like she wanted to, a grumpy crease between her brows.

Michael tightened his arms around her waist, cheek resting against her shoulder for a few seconds before he pulled back to look up at Lindsay. “Some bullshit that I did a Rage Quit with once. Turns out it has a co-op mode and it’s just as frustrating now as I remember it being solo.” He hummed as Lindsay sank her fingers into his curls, and he reached out to encourage her into a kiss.

Gavin grinned fondly at them and took the moment to kiss the grumpiness from Meg’s mouth. “Podcast’s done. Obviously. Ready to go home and relieve the nanny?” He took one of Meg’s hands in his own and waited for Michael to be finished kissing his wife before he demanded a quick kiss for himself.

“Yeah,” Meg sighed. “I’ll beat this garbage eventually. It’s my new goal.” She took Michael’s controller and set it on the desk next to the one she had used, and slid from his lap. “Hi babe,” she greeted Lindsay as she nearly ran into her. They shared their own kiss to complete the kisses through the room, and Meg settled her hands on Lindsay’s stomach in greeting to The Squishy when they parted.

Lindsay yawned out of nowhere, wide and sudden enough to cause her jaw to pop. “Sudden case of the sleepies,” she complained as she tried to shake the yawn off. It didn’t work, another yawn sneaking up almost immediately. 

“Definitely time to head home.” Michael had already started the shutdown process of his computer, and all he had to do was press the power buttons on the consoles still running and click his monitor off. “You got your key to lock up?” he asked, eyes on Gavin.

Gavin dug the key from his pocket and jiggled it in Michael’s direction. “Ready.” 

The girls echoed his sentiment after grabbing Meg’s hoodie, and the four of them trooped out of the Achievement Hunter office to finally head home to their gaggle of kids and comfortable bed. Their was a brief “fight” over who was going to drive until Lindsay succumbed to another jaw cracking yawn and the driving duty fell to Meg. 


End file.
